Crowther Audio Prunes & Custard Harmonic Overdrive Pedal

Full Description

Dual-stage harmonic design

At the heart of the Crowther Audio Prunes & Custard Harmonic Overdrive Pedal is its distinctive two-stage circuit, crafted to deliver an expansive tonal range that goes far beyond traditional distortion. The first stage is a responsive preamp with gain control, allowing you to dial in everything from clean boosts to saturated grit. This preamp feeds into a unique waveshaping distortion stage that introduces rich, odd-order harmonic overtones. The result is a tone that shifts dynamically with your playing, producing complex textures that evolve as notes decay. It's this dual-stage structure that sets the pedal apart, offering not just distortion but a true harmonic experience.

Dynamic tone shaping with Mix and Drive

The Prunes & Custard gives you fine control over your sound through its intuitive Mix and Drive controls. The Drive knob adjusts the gain of the preamp stage, pushing signals from unity gain up to around +40dB. This makes it incredibly flexible, from subtle colouration to aggressive harmonic saturation. The Mix control then blends the output of the preamp with the distorted signal from the harmonic stage, allowing you to retain clarity or dive into full-on harmonic chaos. You can keep your low-end solid for bass or dial in more saturation for soaring guitar tones—this pedal gives you the flexibility to shape your sound exactly how you want it.

Tailored low-end response

One of the standout features of the Prunes & Custard is the LF Retain switch, designed specifically to address the needs of those who rely on a powerful low end. As Drive and Mix are increased, the harmonic content can dominate the sound, sometimes reducing the fundamental frequencies. The LF Retain function counteracts this by blending low frequencies from the preamp back into the mix, ensuring your tone retains depth and fullness. It’s a simple but highly effective feature that makes the pedal equally useful for bass, guitar, synths or any instrument needing that extra weight in the mix.

Creative studio potential

While it excels on a pedalboard, the Prunes & Custard is also a powerful creative tool in the studio. Its strong harmonic character and unique intermodulation capabilities make it an ideal effect not just for guitar or bass but also for shaping drums and other instruments in a mix. Run it through an aux send to sculpt overdriven snare tones or gritty toms, using the Mix control at maximum for full-effect output. It plays well with EQ and gating for even more detailed sound design, and its musical ring-mod-like intermodulation makes it a favourite among producers looking to create distinctive textures in both live and recorded environments.

Specifications

• Product Name: Crowther Audio Prunes & Custard Harmonic Overdrive Pedal
• Product Code: P&C
• Type: Harmonic generator-intermodulator
• Controls: Level, Mix, Drive, LF Retain switch, Guitar/Bass switch
• Circuit: Two-stage design with preamp and waveshaping distortion
• Gain Range: Unity to +40dB (approx. 100x)
• Mix Function: Blends preamp output with distortion stage
• LF Retain: Preserves low frequencies when Drive/Mix are set high
• Guitar/Bass Switch: Adjusts treble roll-off between circuit stages
• Power: 9V DC centre-negative power supply (not included)
• Use Cases: Guitar, bass, synths, drum processing, studio FX routing